I'm a horse person, and as such I have the tendency to compare life to the art of riding. One who is not acquainted to this art would be surprised to learn that there are some useful things to take away with you after every ride.
Those who have kept up with my life and/or blog know that I bought J.B., my first horse ever, in March. After a period of freaking out and doing my best not to call myself insane, it has become one of the best things I've ever done for myself. To say the least, it's so nice to be able to go out and ride and iron a few things out in my mind. To say the most, I can say I have a new best friend.
I managed to find an excellent barn where I could keep him. My trainer specializes in dressage, an english-style type of riding that emphasizes the proper, balanced movement of the horse. At first glance this seems pretty straightforward and easy, but when a rider is added to the horse's equation it's a long road of learning for the horse to move as he naturally would with this new weight atop his back.
Both J.B. and I are new to dressage. This makes progress difficult for both of us. Add to that the fact that he is a flighty thoroughbred and the concentration factor is much less. But wow, have we made some progress. And with just one basic principle.
My trainer is constantly reminding me to keep J.B. moving in the middle with straight line through poll, shoulders and haunches. A crucial element is to keep the energy of his motion centered through my shoulders all the way down to my calves. I've gotten a sense of feeling now that allows me to detect missteps outside of that square. On his part, he has developed a sensitivity to my slight corrections with seat and leg that keep him right in the middle.
That is what we have worked on over the last several months. And a good indication of how difficult this new discipline can be for horse and rider.
An important aspect of our progress has been my learning to keep myself in balance even if he is out of balance. If he goes right, I have to correct him on the left rather than follow him to the right, or vice versa. A constant re-shifting of his energy through my own sense of balance - I have had to learn what feels right in my body and get him there through persistence and consistency. This lesson has been difficult both in mind and body, but with time we have been able to correct ourselves more quickly and easily.
After a good ride, when I have kept myself centered and gotten the results with J.B., I walk away wanting to apply it to my own life. Wouldn't it be nice to combat all of those tugging forces in life with your own inner sense of balance? To be sure of what your balance is and what you need to maintain it is the gift of hard work and diligence in seeking to know yourself. With that will come the confidence to go for it or ask for it. Indeed it would make life easier, and filled with so much more happiness.
These are the thoughts I enjoy post-ride when I am washing off my calmer and happier horse. Revelations of this kind have not only enriched my relationship with my horse, but have slowly improved my own life as I have learned to apply them.
Thank goodness for the horses in my lives. What would I know about life if it weren't for them?
Those who have kept up with my life and/or blog know that I bought J.B., my first horse ever, in March. After a period of freaking out and doing my best not to call myself insane, it has become one of the best things I've ever done for myself. To say the least, it's so nice to be able to go out and ride and iron a few things out in my mind. To say the most, I can say I have a new best friend.
I managed to find an excellent barn where I could keep him. My trainer specializes in dressage, an english-style type of riding that emphasizes the proper, balanced movement of the horse. At first glance this seems pretty straightforward and easy, but when a rider is added to the horse's equation it's a long road of learning for the horse to move as he naturally would with this new weight atop his back.
Both J.B. and I are new to dressage. This makes progress difficult for both of us. Add to that the fact that he is a flighty thoroughbred and the concentration factor is much less. But wow, have we made some progress. And with just one basic principle.
My trainer is constantly reminding me to keep J.B. moving in the middle with straight line through poll, shoulders and haunches. A crucial element is to keep the energy of his motion centered through my shoulders all the way down to my calves. I've gotten a sense of feeling now that allows me to detect missteps outside of that square. On his part, he has developed a sensitivity to my slight corrections with seat and leg that keep him right in the middle.
That is what we have worked on over the last several months. And a good indication of how difficult this new discipline can be for horse and rider.
An important aspect of our progress has been my learning to keep myself in balance even if he is out of balance. If he goes right, I have to correct him on the left rather than follow him to the right, or vice versa. A constant re-shifting of his energy through my own sense of balance - I have had to learn what feels right in my body and get him there through persistence and consistency. This lesson has been difficult both in mind and body, but with time we have been able to correct ourselves more quickly and easily.
After a good ride, when I have kept myself centered and gotten the results with J.B., I walk away wanting to apply it to my own life. Wouldn't it be nice to combat all of those tugging forces in life with your own inner sense of balance? To be sure of what your balance is and what you need to maintain it is the gift of hard work and diligence in seeking to know yourself. With that will come the confidence to go for it or ask for it. Indeed it would make life easier, and filled with so much more happiness.
These are the thoughts I enjoy post-ride when I am washing off my calmer and happier horse. Revelations of this kind have not only enriched my relationship with my horse, but have slowly improved my own life as I have learned to apply them.
Thank goodness for the horses in my lives. What would I know about life if it weren't for them?
1 comment:
Awesome article.
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